he wrote upon the tables the words of the Covenant, the Ten Commandments *." It likeways expreffeth the effect of a Covenant, which is peace: Said Eliphaz, " forthoufhalt be in league with the ftones of the field, and the beasts of the field shall be at peace with thee t." Said God himself, "I will make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of Heaven, and with the creeping things of the ground :" That is, no more harm is to be dreaded from them, than from the person with whom thou art in the ftrictest confederacy: Whereas, they are all in arms, in the cause of their Sovereign, against finners §.

*Exod. xxxiv. 28.

THE

Job v. 23. Hof. ii. 18.

Learned men have added yet another sense of the word, which deferves fome confideration. They reckon it is parallel with p, which fignifies a STATUTE, or an ordinance. That the terms used, are fometimes fynonymous, cannot be denied: But that ever na fignifies A NAKED STATUTE, can never be proved. To me it rather appears, that p fometimes denotes COVENANT, as well as : Jeremiah takes them both in the fame fenfe. Jer. xxxiii. 20, 21. compared with Jer. xxxi. 36. In thefe texts, the Lord compares the Covenant he made with David with that which he made with Noah; fhewing that the former is as certain as the latter, which he confirms by daily experience. Nor is he the only infpi

red

THE term which we render COVENANT in the Old Testament, is tranflated, by the infpired writers of the New Teftament, by a word which is fometimes rendered COVENANT, and fometimes TESTAMENT*. The great Prophet of the Church useth it to express that tranfaction which obtained between the Father and himself, as well as his conveyance of his kingdom unto his people. Said he, "I APPOINT unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath APPOINTED unto me t." The word appoint is rather too narrow to exprefs all that is intended in the inspired original. The original word imports, not only all the certainty of an APPOINTMENT, but also, all the precifion of a FOEDERAL SETTLEMENT. imports both a FOEDERAL SETTLEMENT and a TESTAMENTARY DISPOSITION; both fenfes are contained in the text just now quoted: The Fœderal Appointment, and that only, obtained between the Father and the Son; for the Father could

It

red writer who confiders them as fynonymous: Said the infpired hiftorian of the book of Joshua, "fo Joshua made a COVENANT with the people that day; and fet them a STATUTE and an ordinance in Shechem." Jofh. xxiv. 25. + Luke xxii. 29.

* Διαθήκη, and Διατίθημι.

not

not die to leave the kingdom as a legacy, by teftament, unto the Son: Both the Fœderal Settlement and the Testamentary Difpofition, obtained in Chrift's adminiftration toward the Church ; for, as he died to turn his Covenant into a Teftament, fo he engageth himself, by covenant-promise, unto his children; and bindeth them unto himself with the bands of a man. More particularly,

1. THIS term, in the New Testament, denotes a Covenant, in the proper notion of the word: That is, a voluntary compact between two diftinct parties. "By fo much was Jefus the furety of a better covenant *. I would choose to translate the Apoftle's

*Heb. vii. 22. Some authors, I grant, contend that Ataban can never properly be rendered COVENANT, but ought always to be tranflated TESTAMENT. But fuch a Suppofition must bear hard on the infpired Writers of the New Teftament. The Cocceians, however, are rash enough to give into it. And Le Clerc confiders Paul, as one "who delighted in the play of a Helenistical writer, when he used Adnan to denote COVENANT." But his infolence and profanity have been chaftifed by the learned Dr Whitby: See his Paraphrafe and Comment ⚫ on Heb. ix. 20. The Hutchinfonians likeways aver, that ǝither Paul's dialect was Hellenistical, if not cabalistical, or that he did not intend to exprefs, by Amtún, what we

call

Apostle's teftimony in this manner; for there is little or no place for a furety in a Testament; whereas it is proper, and sometimes even neceffary in a Covenant.

2. THE Apostle ufeth this term, to ex prefs TESTAMENT: Said he, " For where

tall a COVENANT. The writers of the New Teftament, however, may be juftified for their ufing this term, in the fenfe fpecified, from the example of the pureft claffital writers in the Greek language, in the best times of their Republic. Though Aan be more extensive in its fignification than Even; yet the Grecians, whether orators or hiftorians, bards or statesmen, have taken it as nearly fynonimous; or in the fame fenfe with the Apoftle, at least. Budæus, Comment. Ling. Grac. p. 629. quotes various good claffics, ufing this term in the fame fenfe as Evren. Nor are the best critics in that language otherways minded: Witnefs Stephanus, Hefychius, Phavorinus, &c. Georgius de Idioticifmis Novi Teftimenti immerito affictis. Jablonski de propria fignificatione ris Aads. This term is better rendered COVENANT, than TESTAMENT, in Heb. viii. 6, 9. Luke i. 72. Acts iii. 25. Rom. xi. 27; and, perhaps, in all places where it occurs, except in Gal. iii. 15. and Heb. ix. 15, 16, 17. Conradus Kircher finds the Septuagint to translate by An, in all places wherever it occurs, except Deut. ix. 15. and 1 Kings xi. 11. And the term is to be found above two hundred times in the Old Teftament. The translation of the Septuagint could not be of great authority, how ever, were it not confirmed, in this inftance at leaft, by the inspired writers of the New Testament. Nor is there any one word in our language, fo proper for expreffing the idea conveyed in both terms, as the word CoVE

1

a Teftament is, there must also, of neceffity, be the death of the Teftator; for a Teftament is of force after men are dead: otherways, it is of no strength at all while the Teftator liveth *." The Apostle argueth, from the nature of a teftament, unto the neceffity of the confirmation of the Covenant of Grace, which is a teftamentary covenant, by the death of Chrift. The Hebrews were ready to ftumble at the fufferings of the Meffiah; but the Apostle taught them, that fuch a covenant rendered them absolutely neceffary †. But the strength of

Heb. ix. 16, 17.

+ "Una ergo illa circumftantia principali, videl. "Sponforis feu Fidejufforis pro nobis fubftitutione, principaliter continetur Differentia Veteris et Novi Fade"ris, a qua Novum Fœdus etiam denominatur FOEDUS "GRATIE. A gratia autem illa Sponforis, CONSUMMAN

DA OLIM, et NUNC CONSUMMATA in morte ipfius, Fæ"dus illud noftri refpectu induit naturam TESTAMENTI. "Nomen illud Teftamenti neutiquam convenit legali ori

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ginali Faderi operam. Sed characteristicum eft Novo "Faderi Gratia: nèque fit citra magnam xupoñoziv "quod FOEDERIS et TESTAMENTI Voces promifcue ufurpant Latini Bibliorum interpretes: cum vix alius locus TESTAMENTI voce flagitare videatur, quam unicus fciz. Heb. ix. 17. idque non vi vocis Aan, fed quia antecedit hæreditatis adipifcendæ mentio. Alia eft ergo, proprie et accurate loquendo differentia jam expli"cata VETERIS et NovI FOEDERIS; Alia VETERIS et "NOVI TESTAMENTI."- CLOP. Exercit. Theol. Loc. 8. Difp. 1. § 2. Thef. 17. 18. 19.